Prominent alumni visit
The McCarthy Center invited many alumni panelists to present on their careers and current successes.
Alumni panelists offered advice to students on Monday, Oct. 5, during the McCarthy Center’s 20th anniversary celebration. From 2 to 4:50 p.m., three sessions of panelists gave their thoughts about leadership, governance and creating the narrative, with many alumni noting all the benefits of working with the McCarthy Center.
“It was a really amazing event; I feel there’s a lot of cool alumni who’ve just come back to really continue to support the McCarthy Center,” CSB sophomore Madeline Modjeski said.
MPR’s Gary Eichten kicked off the first session by introducing the cohost and first four panelists: his cohost Jake Collins, Caribbean Program Officer for the U.S. Department of State, and panelists Diana Elhard, Melissa DeOrio, Liam Miller and Valentin Sierra. The panelists spoke of the importance of the McCarthy Center in their career development, highlighting Director of the McCarthy Center Matt Lindstrom’s encouragement and support, as well as their experiences as student coordinators for the McCarthy Center.
Sierra specifically described St. Ben’s and St. John’s as Minnesota’s networking school.
Collins followed this thought by encouraging students to try new things and get out of their comfort zone, saying it could lead to places in their careers they could never imagine.
The panelists also answered questions about the pressure to go to school and get a job, rather than learn.
“The point is to learn and be open-minded, and an overall well- rounded person,” DeOrio said.
First-year Johnnie Avery Nathe asked the speakers about navigating the school’s network and how to meet people and make connections in areas of interest. Miller answered that attempting to connect through LinkedIn, and reaching out to alumni not just about jobs, but about building a connection through conversation, were both good places to start. He compared the St. Ben’s and St. John’s network to a family, saying to make good friends with professors and other faculty at the university.
Elhard added to this by mentioning the mentor program and its opportunities to experience different roles through shadowing, hearing about someone’s career experience, and gaining advice about different career pathways.
The second panel consisted of cohost Jeff Schnobrich, Executive Budget Officer in Minnesota, and speakers Heather Corcoran, Luke Hellier, Luke Fischer and Dan Wolgamott. The panelists spoke about the importance of governance and the kind of work involved with being a leader within a state, with Wolgamott highlighting the importance of personal connections between constituents and representatives. He also highlighted the incredible network the McCarthy Center provides for students, saying he would not be in the position he is in without it.
“Take advantage of every possible opportunity that the McCarthy Center can give you. You will find success and achieve your dreams,” Hellier said.
The same sentiments were echoed in the third session, with cohost Maddie Morris, Business Partner and Operations Lead for Single Family Office in Texas, and the panelists Edwin Torres DeSantiago, Lindsey Gideon, Alex Kurt and Vanessa Williams. Gideon shared how special the McCarthy center and alumni network at St. Ben’s and St. John’s are.
“The lesson that I took away, was that your major doesn’t necessarily put you into a corner… I think the best part of being at a school like this is you can study whatever interests you. You can be whoever you want to be,” Kurt said.
